Why birthday parades are OK but garage sales are not during COVID-19

As people in Waterloo region enter another weekend of restrictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there may be questions about what is allowed.

For example, parks remain open for walkthrough access only but not for sports and officials have asked people not to drive to parks or trail heads to avoid congestion in parking lots.

Some people have found out the hard way the rules that are in place. This week, the region reported that from April 28 to May 4, tickets were issued four times for people not following the emergency orders laid out by the province. They included a nail salon in Kitchener, a group of more than five people in Waterloo and two different gatherings of people in public places in Cambridge.

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The region's CAO Mike Murray has said previously bylaw officers don't want to ticket people, but instead try to educate them first.

To get a sense of what is and isn't allowed CBC Kitchener-Waterloo spoke with Gloria MacNeil, director of enforcement for the City of Kitchener and Shayne Turner, director of municipal bylaw enforcement services for the City of Waterloo.

Birthday parades

Social media and news reports have been full of reports of parades past long-term care and retirement homes and hospitals in support of health-care workers.

There have also been many birthday parades with groups of people moving past people's homes.

So why are they allowed?

Basically, it's because people keep on moving.

"Some that I've seen people are literally just driving by very slowly, honking, holding out a sign or their car's decorated," MacNeil said. "They're not stopping for a period of time and they're not actually gathering at a location where we have to get into the consideration of: is there more than five people there?"

Porch drop-offs and a chat

Whether it's dropping a gift off for Mother's Day on Sunday or groceries for a neighbour who is self isolating, porch drop-offs are OK so long as there aren't too many people and people physically distance from each other.

"Certainly if less than five people are congregating on a porch or dropping something off, they should be careful about how they do it, but because the number is five or less it is allowable," Turner said.

Parking lot meet-ups

Some people in the region have been gathering in parking lots to see friends. Either they stay in their cars to chat or they get out of their cars and try to maintain a physical distance from each other.

This is something a person could get a ticket for, because it's breaking the provincial order of no gatherings of more than five people.

"The challenge that we've seen with the parking lot gatherings is that people for the most part don't stay in their cars," MacNeil said.

Bylaw officers have told her that when they've been sent to groups of people at, say, a Tim Hortons parking lot, people are out of their cars drinking coffee and talking.

Under the provincial orders, that's considered a gathering.

"Then the second piece of it is, often people get comfortable or they know one another. So they feel more comfortable so they're not keeping that physical distancing," she said.

"Although the intentions may be great" to physically distance, "that's not what's actually happening."

Garage sales

With people spending more time at home, they may have discovered a lot of stuff they want to get rid of. The long-weekend in May is generally the unofficial start to garage sale season, but this year, bylaw officials are asking you to hold off.

It's because a homeowner can't regulate how many people show up at a single time for a garage sale.

"People holding garage sales are essentially inviting strangers to their property and there's many reasons why that could be a challenge," Turner said.

For one, multiple people may touch the same item as they look at what's for sale. People also don't know the health or travel history of strangers coming to the garage sale.

"But the biggest key is that it's likely going to lead to a social gathering of more than five people," Turner said. "That number of more than five people includes the people on the property as well. So if you have a husband and wife that are hosting a garage sale and four other people looking at your goods, now that would be a violation of the provincial regulation."

Beers with the neighbours

Beers, or maybe coffee, with the neighbours is OK so long as people stay on their own properties.

"There's no regulations against that," Turner said. "We've heard of these things popping up where people are three or four properties that are beside each other or across road from each other. If they're sitting on their own property and chatting back and forth ... that's allowable since they're all on their own property."

Driving to a park or trail

Regional officials have asked people to avoid driving to a park or trail head to get in a walk. Instead, they encourage people to walk on trails or streets in their neighbourhood.

MacNeil says Kitchener has discussed putting up barricades to keep people from driving into parking lots. It's something the City of Guelph has done. But she says they won't do it just yet.

"The weather has been kind of intermittent ... so we don't get as much activity in the parks when the weather's not as nice, but moving forward, depending on how much longer it goes on, that is something that we'll reconsider," she said.

People are also reminded not to go on Grand River Conservation Authority lands. The GRCA has closed all its parks and trails. Entering them could result in a charge of trespassing.

Keep dogs on leash

Dog parks are closed as part of the provincial orders under the state of emergency. MacNeil says they've seen an influx of dog owners allowing their pets off leash in other parks instead, which isn't allowed and could result in a $200 fine.

"We're seeing just an absolutely astronomical number of people who are taking their dogs to the parks and trails and throwing a ball," she said, adding dog owners need to keep in mind that there are people who are terrified of dogs and would be scared to have a dog, even if it's friend, run up to them.

Are people listening?

In general, both Turner and MacNeil say people in the two cities are doing well with following the rules laid out by the province, but there are the odd cases where people don't agree.

MacNeil says "co-operation is very weather dependent."

"Definitely the nicer days we're seeing a higher volume of people out. But for the most part, in terms of our interactions, with people they've been fairly good," she said.

Turner says bylaw officers are used to people being unhappy with them enforcing regulations.

"There has been some pushback and some comments being made That's kind of what bylaw enforcement officers are used to unfortunately," he said.

"But particularly with the COVID-19 related issues, it's pretty clear cut: this is all about everybody's health and safety. And if we all do our part, we will flatten the curve, so to speak, as soon as we can."